10 most popular stories of 2018

As the year nears its end, here is a list of stories covered by Down To Earth that caught the most attention online

Kerala floods: How to hit self goals on disaster preparedness

Performance audits carried out by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India during 2012 and 2017 had raised several red alerts regarding floods.…

Heavy rains are not unusual in Kerala, yet...

The heavy spell cannot be seen in isolation from the seasonal distribution, rainfall abnormalities over the rest of the country or abnormal …

Kerala received 316% more rainfall than normal on August 8: IMD

Since the beginning of the monsoon season, 14 districts in the state have been affected by floods comprising over 2,000 villages, says the …

What is in a name? Plenty if you are this fish

The hump-backed mahseer, native to South India, has been given a scientific name in a race to save it from extinction

Rural Kerala declared open defecation-free

All city areas are expected to become ODF by January 1 and a majority of municipalities have already achieved the target

New species of frog discovered in Western Ghats

It has been named Ghatixalus magnus after its large size, making it the biggest known tree frog in the Western Ghats

Anti-AIDS treatment aims at tolerating virus

Ayurveda practitioners in Kerala are experimenting with a novel approach to tackling AIDS: herbal medicines that increase the patient's immunity …

Supreme Court to consider doctors' appeal

The Supreme Court will decide whether medical practitioners can be held guilty of criminal negligence under the Consumer Protection Act.

People play key role in anti-filaria project

A programme implemented in central Kerala shows how an illness can be controlled if the community is involved.

Where a community maps its resources

It's a unique experiment. Three Kerala organisations are involving local communities to evolve a blueprint for development based on …

Fish in troubled waters

Several fish species in Kerala are threatened by overfishing and the release of effluents in the coastal waters

Mother of three wages lone battle against sand mining lobby

Jazeera along with her three children has been sitting in protest from June 14 in front of government offices, demanding protection of Kerala's …

On day 100, Kerala tribals continue to ‘stand up’ for their rights

Adivasis want the state government to fulfill its promise of giving land to the landless

As told to Parliament (July 19, 2022): Kharif sowing over 59 million hectares

All that was discussed in the House through the day

India to witness a ‘dry’ start to southwest monsoon: IMD

Rainfall will be over 50% below normal in at least 10 major states 

Will new airstrip in Kerala’s Idukki be a permanent threat to Periyar Tiger Reserve

The airstrip is being built hardly 600 metres away from the boundary of the reserve

Monsoon 2021: A month before season’s end, over one-third of districts deficit in rainfall

All the districts in Gujarat have reported deficit or large deficit rainfall

Environmental offences in India soared 790% in 2017

Almost half the crimes took place in Tamil Nadu

Internal purifiers

Polymer-coated antibody helps remove impurities from the blood after cancer treatment

Whose land?

Disease-resistant coconut

Kani vs Kani

Kanis are dragged into bureaucratic wrangling, pitting them against each other

Open secret

Were medicinal plants exported without government permission?

A model arrangement